Agencia Lusa is the main news agency in Portugal, operating with a newsroom of around 200 journalists and a network of approximately 80 freelancers.
Media assets
News agency: Lusa
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State-Funded and State-Managed (ISFM)
Ownership and governance
For many years, the state owned 50.1% of Lusa, with the remaining stake controlled by private media companies, including Impresa and Global Media Group. In July 2024, the Portuguese government acquired 45.71% of the shares held by Global Media and Páginas Civilizadas in Lusa, paying a total of €2.49m. This increased the government’s stake in Lusa to 95.86%.
Lusa has a contract with the Portuguese state to provide public interest news. The main governing body at Lusa consists of a Board of Directors, which can have three, five, seven, or nine members appointed by the general shareholders’ meeting.
Source of funding & budget
In 2021, Lusa operated with a budget of €16.8m. The following year, it had a total income of €17.2m. According to the agency’s annual report, almost three-quarters of its income comes from the state budget.
Editorial independence
The government does not impose any provisions on Lusa’s editorial policy. There is no evidence of government control at Lusa. Ad hoc content analysis conducted for this project in May 2023 and March 2024 found that the news content on Lusa is balanced, with no preferential coverage of state bodies being identified.
Lusa ensures editorial independence through an ethical code, requiring journalists to follow specific editorial rules.
No independent assessment or oversight mechanism to validate Lusa’s editorial independence has been identified during the latest research round between May 2024 and July 2024.
August 2024